The missing girl was sought by her ‘eyes and skin’

A young South African who disappeared last year at age six was allegedly sought by a traditional healer for his righteous eyes and complexion, according to a court.

This is one of the accusations that arose in the current trial of Joshlin Smith’s mother, Kelly Smith, accused of orchestrating her kidnapping.

Mrs. Smith, her boyfriend Jacquen Apollis and her friend Steveno Van Rhyn have He declared himself innocent to positions of human trafficking and kidnapping.

Joshlin’s disappearance in February 2024 from outside his home in the Bay of Saldanha, near Cape Town, sent shock waves in South Africa and, despite a very publicly search for it, it has not yet been found.

Initially, Mrs. Smith said that Joshlin, who has a fair complexion and blue eyes, had disappeared after she had left her under the care of Mr. Apollis.

The prosecutors then accused her of “sold, delivered or exchanged” to the six -year -old girl and lied about her disappearance.

The trial, which is now in its third week, is held in a community center in Saldanha.

During the first week of the trial, the court heard details about the day Joshlin disappeared, including Mrs. Smith only alerted the police more than six hours after she noticed that the young woman had disappeared.

The court also heard that it seemed calm during the frantic search and seemed more concerned about the whereabouts of her boyfriend than the missing child.

The most shocking details arose in the second week.

A local shepherd said that until 2023 he had heard Mrs. Smith, a mother of three children, talk about selling her children for 20,000 Rand ($ 1,100, £ 850) each, although she had said she was willing to accept a lower figure of $ 275.

Joshlin’s teacher alleged in court that Mrs. Smith had told her during the search that her daughter was already “on a ship, inside a container, and that they headed to Western Africa.”

These revelations paid compared to the explosive details made by Lountia Lombaard, a friend and neighbor of Mrs. Smith, who became a state witness.

He took the stand last Thursday and for three days he detailed the events before Joshlin’s disappearance that involved a traditional healer, known in South Africa as a “bloody.”

Mrs. Lombaard claimed that her friend confessed to her: “I did something silly … I sold my son to a bleeding,” and added that he had been driven by a desperate need for money.

Joshlin’s mother promised those who knew the plan some money in exchange for his silence, Lombaard said.

She told the Court that she later witnessed Mrs. Smith pack some clothes for Joshlin in a black bag, which later saw her while they both walked to meet a woman that Mrs. Lombaard believes it was the blood.

Mother and daughter got on a white car and left with the woman, Lombaard said.

Speaking on Monday, her last day on the podium, Lombaard told court that the “person who (supposedly took) Joshlin loved her for her eyes and skin.”

It was not clear in court why a bloody would like a child like this.

A woman who believes she was a traditional healer was initially arrested and accused with Mrs. Smith and her coacked last year, but the charges against her were finally retired due to lack of evidence.

Sangomas are legally recognized in South Africa under the Law of Traditional Health Practices of 2007, along with traditional herbalists, partials and traditional surgeons.

It is believed that ancestral spirits can provide advice and healing through these culturally respected practitioners.

Some charlatans are involved in the so -called traditional unscrupulous priests, and it is known that they sell charms of good luck that involve pieces of the body.

Mrs. Lombard expressed sadness for her role in Joshlin’s disappearance, saying that she had tried, without success, to prevent Mrs. Smith selling her daughter.

She appealed to who had taken the young woman to “please bring her back.”

The trial is expected to run until March 28.